According to the field poll, 70 percent of Bay Area respondents backed legalizing marijuana while 55 percent favor legalization statewide. The region with the lowest support, the Central Valley still measured 50 percent support.

“The biggest areas of support are certainly by age. The younger segment, voters under the age of 40, are two to one in favor. Even those under the age of 50 are two-to-one supportive,” Field Poll Director Mark DiCamillo said.

The survey results have been released as cannabis supporters try to qualify an initiative for next November’s ballot.

Only 31 percent of the respondents, DiCamillo said, oppose legalization—an encouraging sign for the proposed ballot measure but its fate remains far from certain.

“Whether that will hold up, we’ll have to wait and see. but it would certainly start as a favorite,” he said.

Supporters of the marijuana initiative have until Feb. 24 to gather half a million valid signatures to quality it for the ballot.

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